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Thursday, June 24, 2010

Wish You Were Here!

(Well, this is the third time I've tried to write this post. Hopefully, it will be "third time's the charm"; but we shall see. The internet here is not wireless so I've lost the last two writings. Here goes nothin'. Smile.)

Maybe it would be more accurate to say, wish you were near here. I must admit that Frank and I are enjoying the solitude with only the birds, wind and rain as company.

For a couple of years now, friends of ours have been encouraging us to come up to the Great Smokey Mountains and enjoy the use of their cabin. We finally were able to leave on Tuesday and let me tell you, we are praying blessing on our dear friends for this incredible gift!

Of course, my backside is also acutely aware of the fact that it is an e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y long way from Florida to these mountains. The drive was almost eleven hours of steady driving. We aren't like some travelers who dawdle along the way. We view travel as something to be conquered: drive hard; stop only to refuel, grab food, empty bladders; GO! (Makes you want to sign up for our next road trip,right?! Smile.)

But the long journey was well worth the end result. Our friends call their cabin "Master's View" and it is indeed aptly named. The deck offers an incredible view of the valley below; we've eaten every meal out here since arriving. The drive up the mountain takes about eight minutes and requires the navigation of some twenty "switchbacks".

I was driving when we first arrived and Frank laughed out loud at me asking was it at all possible for me to hug the mountain any closer. I ignored him and kept driving close to the left edge; the right edge felt too treacherous for me!

The morning breezes are cool, calling for a lap quilt. A rain storm blew in yesterday with clouds so thick they completely obscured anything beyond twenty feet past the railing. I continue to watch birds flying below us. Baby, we are UP here! And I couldn't be more happy. (Except for the cold I'm fighting off. That's what Puffs tissues and Benadryl are for, right?)

This location lends itself to numerous sermon illustrations which I'll save for when we return home. But there is one thought I'd like to share with you, dear readers.

Our drive here took us through a location where Frank and I served as pastors almost twenty-nine years ago. (We were mere babies; in many senses of the word. Smile.) As we passed familiar landmarks, memories began to tumble around in my head. Some joyful; some not.

But being blessed with the ability to look back on those scenes from this vantage point was really powerful. I pondered how masterfully God took the dark threads of difficulty and wove them together with the brighter threads of great joy to create a much richer tapestry. Difficulty actually served to highlight the joys!

Kind of reminds you of the verse, "He will work all things together for our good." And trust the older lady, He really does!!

Yes, I do wish you were sitting on the deck of a cabin near here delighting with me in this spectacular vista. But no matter where you find yourself sitting today, the position of perspective can bring great peace.

11 hours? You could have driven to visit Louis, Izze and I in that amount of time! Enjoy your time together, and anytime you two wish to visit the nation's capital, the Hendricks fam is here to take you out for crabcakes.